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The Arizona Legislature won't let local governments ban plastic grocery bags. But it can't stop grocery stores from acting on their own.

Fry's Foods, for example, announced it will phase out plastic bags in the state. Kroger, the parent company of Fry's Foods, initiated a Zero Hunger, Zero Waste campaign in September 2017, and this past summer, it introduced a plan to phase out plastic bags in all 2,800 of its stores by 2025.

"By Kroger taking the lead and stating that it will phase out single-use plastic bags, we expect other large grocery chains and businesses will recognize the economic and public health benefits and follow suit," said Arizona PIRG Executive Director Diane Brown.

Some Arizona municipalities tried to ban plastic bags in the past, but in 2015, the Legislature prohibited local bans. This means, for now, it's up to us to persuade businesses to move Arizona away from single-use plastic bags.